Egregor Solomon
Father Egregor Solomon of Tirisfal Glades (30th day of the 10th month of the year 554 K.C.) is the last living member of the Solomon family, a lowly household traditionally serving in the Church of the Holy Light. He is a member of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow, but of a minor rank. As a Military Chaplain, he provides counsel to the Dark Lady's warriors while aiding them on the battlefield. Life and Death One of the few Forsaken who completely recalls his former life, Egregor Solomon remembers a life of discipline. Born the son of a parish minister in Tirisfal Glades, he remembers growing up in a stern environment to become a high-ranking priest in the Church of the Light. He remembers the long hours of study at the Scarlet Monastery Library, and his painstaking devotion. Egregor remembers the day the Head Bishop ordered him to journey to Hearthglen as an emissary to learn more of a great darkness facing Lordaeron. He remembers making the journey via a stop through Andorhal, a stopover that would prove to be most fatal. As soon as his travelling party had arrived in Hearthglen, they were slaughtered, one and all -- men, women, children, entire families. He remembers the rage he felt, an emotion he had never truly experienced during his ultra-devout life. He recalls a wild frenzy of holy spells as he tried to save them, his sole concentration on healing as many children as possible. He remembers looking down to see the arrow through his heart, and the cold darkness that followed. All of this he remembers, but mostly Egregor remembers the warm embrace of the Light, and the agonizing emptiness that came when the Light forsook him in death. Undeath Having risen fully sentient, Egregor made an immediate impression in Deathknell. Unlike many of the common corpses, he was garbed in battle-ready priest vestments. Many Forsaken scream when they first rise, mostly out of self-revulsion. Egregor’s undeath-scream was one of rage -- rage aimed directly at the Light, the Church of the Holy Light, and the Holy Alliance. His subsequent rantings earned him the attention of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow, who took him under their wing. Now wielding a balance of Light and Shadow, Egregor maintains his former astute discipline in the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow. The Cult has filled a emptiness in Egregor and provided answers to all of the philosophical and theological questions that were plaguing him. Egregor views undeath as a liberation rather than a curse, and longs for the day of his Ascension. While a very devout member, the Cult has stifled Egregor at a lower rank, due mostly to his obvious madness. The Cult sought to contain Egregor with seemingly harmless duties as a Military Chaplain, catering to the spiritual needs of the Dark Lady's forces. Many Forsaken Warriors took to relying heavily on Egregor for counsel. He began calling his followers the "Disciples of Disciplines" a minor cult which has continued to flourish, with members growing every more fiercely loyal. The continued growth of Egregor' cult following has emerged as a matter of concern for the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow. When he is not studying in his chambers, or proselytizing in Horde major cities, he is most often found on the battlefield, altering the events of war as he deems fit. Appearance A bone-white corpse, and indeed many of his bones are in fact exposed. Sporting the same gaunt face he wore in life, his bald head has become all the more hideous in unlife. His jaw remains intact, unlucky for those who are forced to endure his long-winded sermons on self-actualization. With eyes that glow an intense yellow, his gaze is difficult to withstand, burning with hatred for the Light. A dark aura seems to emanate from his being, along with a pungent sulfurous odor. He is dressed in traditional priestly garb, yet an insignia bearing the mark of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow adorns his collar, and a severed corpse's hand hangs from his belt. Beliefs Egregor's belief system has been shaped by his experiences in life, death, and undeath. He now firmly believes in a balance between Light and Shadow, a belief which he constantly preaches to others. Egregore, like all members of the Cult consider faith in themselves as what separates himself from others, and that with his powers, he will cause great change in all of Azeroth, the weak will come to lean on him, the lepers will call him Lord, and the ignorant will look to him for guidance. Also, like other members of the Cult, he strives for Ascension, a sort of dark apotheosis. Egregor preaches that there are Three Simple Truths: # The Key to Ascension lies in Self-Actualization. # The Key to Self-Actualization lies in Balance. # The Key to Balance lies in mastery over Light & Shadow. He believes that awareness of the Three Simple Truths and that adherence to the Four Virtues of the Cult can lead any Forsaken, priest or otherwise, to Ascension. The Four Virtues The Cult of Forgotten Shadow espouses that there are only Three Virtues, but Egregor preaches, rather heretically, that there are in fact Four Virtues: 1. Respect The universe is the physical manifestation of other's wills. Thus, for a person to denigrate the universe is to ignore the personal power of individual will. Egregor believes that followers of the Forgotten Shadow must develop their personal power in order to exert their will on the universe, but seeking too much power too quickly may place the follower in conflict with other, stronger beings. Only a foolish follower seeks to challenge superiors right away. Showing respect ensures a measure of self-protection. 2. Tenacity Egregor places even greater reverence in the virtue of tenacity. It may at first seem impossible for a person to change the universe with countless others seeking to do the same. Through unwavering perseverance and tenacity though, the true believer may triumph. 3. Power Power is the third virtue of the Forgotten Shadow, and the most difficult to attain. A Forsaken who grabs greedily for power might encounter power too great for him or her to handle, and die in their attempt to master it. A Forsaken who succumbs to despair and seeks no personal power has no reason to exist; they crave nothing, desire nothing, sitting alone and pining for their old life. In Egregor's view, Forsaken who do not seek to better themselves might as well still be part of the Scourge. The quest for power requires caution, forethought, and subtlety. 4. Death Egregor fervently believes that a Forsaken reaches the pinnacle of power when they master death itself, transcending it. This power over death requires the same delicate approach of any other power. A Forsaken must not kill indiscriminately, nor can they withhold death from the weak. To kill wantonly escalates the Forsaken's risk of encountering power too great to overcome, while also depleting one's strength. A Forsaken who spends all day slaying wildlife and human peasants might exhaust their power, and be left defenseless when a true threat arises. Likewise, a Forsaken who shows mercy to the weak and forgoes regular exercise of their power may gain a reputation for weakness themselves. This draws predators and thereby danger. One must always preserve the balance. ---- Compassion Despite his rather cutthroat outlook, Egregor possesses a strong sense of compassion. The living world fears and shuns the living dead, and who can blame them? Egregor understands the plight of the Forsaken and wishes to ease their burden if only a little. Egregor extends this compassion toward other Forsaken, but not to the living, for whom he has mostly only contempt. ---- Ascension Egregor believes that the ultimate goal of practitioners of the Forgotten Shadow is to ascend. Ascension occurs once a person achieves complete control over themselves and the power to transcend death. A Forsaken who ascends becomes invulnerable, invincible and eternal. In essence, they become a god. The Cult of Forgotten Shadow teaches that the Forsaken of Azeroth were too weak to ascend. Their undead state is a curse brought on by that weakness. Once the Forsaken learns to master themselves and control the world around them, they shake off that curse and become what they always should have been. ---- Divine Humanism Instead of seeing both a self and a universe and seeking to create a bond between them through compassion, the Forgotten Shadow preaches a much more self-oriented idea. Egregor preaches this idea, that the self has power over the universe, and the universe revolves around the self. He preaches that if a Forsaken were powerful enough to rise from the grave on their own free will, and become sentient, the Forsaken may strengthen themselves by increasing their control of the world around them, thus becoming more godlike. Many priests, such as Egregor, dub this concept divine humanism. A minor example of divine humanism might be something as simple as mood. The Holy Light teaches that to be happy, one must work to better the universe, and the effort of reflecting joy back through the universal bond spreads happiness. However, divine humanism notes that an angry individual who shows their rage triggers anger in those around them. They do not change some insubstantial universe "out there" - they make a choice and others sense the strength of their emotions and change themselves. In short, the Holy Light teaches that by changing the universe, one changes those around oneself. The Forgotten Shadow teaches that by using one's own power, one can change those around oneself and thereby change the universe. Power is key, not some mythical bond. ---- The Coming Darkness While still on the Path to Ascension, Egregor has become distracted by the increasing presence of Shadow in the world. He openly prophesies a coming apocalypse, with the Void gaining full entry into the Great Dark Beyond by way of the Shadowlands. With his fellow Forsaken naturally resistant to Void whispers, few of his fellow cultists have heeded these prognostications. Egregor believes that the overwhelming presence of Light -- through the overabundance of beings such as the Naaru and the extensive workings of organizations such as the Church of the Holy Light -- has disrupted the balance within the Shadowlands. This imbalance will soon be rectified, he believes, by a forthcoming incursion of the Void. As a priest who believes in the balance of Light and Shadow, Egregor feels it is his solemn duty to repair this imbalance. As such, he has halted all other pursuits until balance is restored. Egregor fervently believes the Dark Lady is working to prevent the coming apocalypse. Quotes * "Death to the Living!" * “Woe to the blind followers of the Light, for they cannot see their own Shadow." * "Every light casts a shadow. The Light is only one half of a polarity. It is only through mastery of both Light & Shadow that one can find the true path to Ascension." * "The Light is not a God. There are no Gods… but, only higher beings. What’s more --lowly creatures such as we can transform into these higher beings. We can become as Gods through the discipline of Ascension." * "This severed hand hanging from my belt? It once belonged to my Head Bishop... his head now hangs in my study." * "Darkness! Unending darkness will soon be upon us all!" * "Repent! Forsake the Light before it is too late!" * "For the Dark Lady!" Quirks Although one of the few Forsaken to awake fully conscious, he has lost touch with his humanity sooner than most. The Cult fears his mind is rapidly unraveling into a state of madness. When not proselytizing in major Horde cities, he mutters to himself, to animals, to the wind itself. He increasingly suffers from lapses in short-term memory. Relationships Father Egregor does not have many close relationships within the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow. He is, however, revered by many Forsaken Warriors who heed his counsel. His closest companion is an old, white cat named Epsom who never leaves his side. Unfortunately, Egregor sometimes forgets that he has a pet cat. Category:Characters Category:Forsaken Category:Priests Category:The Shadowlands Category:Void Lords Category:The Void Category:The Light